“The problems of the street will be solved on the street,” said Sunil Sharma, the newly elected BJP MLA from Sahibabad during a meeting with Indirapuram residents and Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) officials on March 25.

The meeting was held on a road near Winsor Street Market, Vaibhav Khand, Indirapuram, and was organised by FedAOA, the apex body of AOAs in Ghaziabad, over issues troubling residents.

Sewer blockage, choked drains, encroachments and sanitation of the township were the main issues discussed at the meeting. Sunil Sharma assured residents that their problems would be solved as soon as possible. However, the MLA said that officials were not always responsible for the sorry state of affairs. “In most cases, it is the state government that is entirely responsible for the conduct of its officials,” said Sharma.

The MLA also said that with the change of the ruling political party in the state, the conduct of officials is set to change too. He said, “Officials who don’t perform their duties well will have to leave Ghaziabad.”

Shedding light on the issue of sewer blockage, Chakresh Jain, executive engineer of GDA, said that the issue has several layers of problems, some which are related to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation.

The MLA assured Jain that those problems would also be solved. “Whatever roadblocks come in the way of residents’ welfare will be cleared through discussion or will be dealt with from Lucknow,” Sharma added.

Speaking to City Spidey, Alok Kumar, patron of FedAoA said, “With a new MLA, there is new hope among residents. Residents raised their issues in front of the MLA and he has assured us of quick solutions."

Echoing similar sentiments, Sanat Tripathi, president of Lotus Pond AOA, a residential society in Indirapuram, said, “I am sure that the issues in Indirapuram will be addressed soon,” he added.